Propeller Ceiling Effect in Forward Flight

Abstract

The study extends the investigation of the fixed-pitch small-scale propeller in the ceiling effect to forward flight conditions at different propeller incidence angles. Force-based experiments, phase-locked particle image velocimetry (PIV), and surface oil flow visualization were conducted on two APC propellers at the University of Dayton Low Speed Wind Tunnel. For propellers in edgewise flight, the power required at constant thrust decreases at small advance ratios for each $h/D$ and then increases with a further increase in the advance ratio. Tilting the propeller forward reduces the ceiling effect benefits in both thrust and power, particularly at higher advance ratios. Performance similarity in the propeller ceiling effect at different $h/D$ is observed, and a performance prediction method is proposed. Phase-locked PIV showed an increase in the propeller inflow angle in the ceiling effect at small advance ratios, resulting in higher thrust generation. This effect reduces with an increase in the advance ratio due to minimized interactions with the ceiling plate. Hence, the measured propeller in-ceiling-effect (ICE) propeller performance cannot represent the propeller ICE performance at a higher forward flight speed. Additionally, PIV and surface flow visualization indicated the presence of a stagnation point on the ceiling plate near the trailing side of the propeller disk at higher advance ratios, leading to a reduction in propeller thrust generation.